I looked at a few old threads. Is the consensus still that receiving positive feedback during interviews bears little postive correlation to admission for top schools?
At a couple of the top schools from TSAO we heard from the interviewers that our child was “amazing” and “special.” Is it safe to assume this information is great but does not serve to signal anything about the child’s chance of admission other than the fact that the interview will not be a reason for rejection? These interviewers probably see so many amazing and special kids that they will have to reject. It makes me sad that they say these things when it is so unnecessary and serves very little purpose other than to ensure the applicant pool is as large as possible and possibly helps their yield.
Yep, that’s still the consensus. The comments mean your child came across positively in the interview (as did many, many others) and, as you said, will not be the reason for rejection. So, one part of the application successfully completed. On to the rest. Good luck to your child.
Does it really mean nothing even if the interviewer was the AO who will be reading the app? Our son had two AOs say that they see him as a perfect match for their school.
If the interviewer is an alum, I think it may mean less as those interviews don’t hold much weight. S19 did have an alumni interview that was scheduled for 30 min and lasted three hours. They were just enjoying their time together and had a lot in common. The alumnus did write to him and said he really hopes he will choose his school but we don’t read much into that since he’s not in admissions.
It really means that one should not exert an inordinate amount of time and effort reading something into it. Unlike college admissions, the interviews at boarding schools are usually conducted by AOs. If there is immediate feedback (and that’s a big if), it’s unlikely to be negative.
I’ve known BS applicants who said they had “amazing” interviews/feedback and who were ultimately rejected, and others who got no feednack who were accepted. Personally, I believe that there are no tea leaves to be read. The only sure thing will comeon M10, and until then, the applicat (and parents) should find other things to occupy their time.
Do not be drawn in by positive feedback meaning more than it is…positive feedback. However, if a school asks you if you’ve considered another school…definitely take their hint and look at the other school. If the AO suggests maybe waiting a year…this should also be heavily considered.
I was overwhelmed by many of the positive comments given after DS interviewed. The school that gave me the least feedback was the one (yes, I said one) that accepted him. Being an amazing kid does not mean that they are a good fit for the school…being a good fit for the school doesn’t mean they are what the school needs the upcoming year. BS admissions is a huge 2500 interlocking piece jigsaw puzzle and everything must fit together just right.
So, accept the positive feedback and pat yourself on the back, “Well done, mom/dad! You’ve done a good job raising this one!” And move on to the rest of the process. Come M10, hopefully your child will land in the right place!
Good luck! I’m glad I still have another year before I’m back in your shoes!
I’ve been through this before with my son. The glowing remarks mean nothing. Get ready for some emails, and hand-written letters/postcards. These are largely done to affect yield, since boarding schools do not have any sort of early decision.
Once you have all the decisions in hand, then choose based on which is the best ‘fit’. Don’t go with the school that has the best prestige, because in the end, it matters more that your kid is comfortable and can succeed. Big fish little pond theory.
Thanks all for the confirmation. We were not only hoping that the feedback actually meant something but also that it might allow us to apply to fewer schools. Given the horror stories here and low acceptance rates, we were unlikely to gamble based on anything said here or by the interviewers but one can dream.
Anyway…the schools know this process is not enjoyable…why add this to it.
Regardless, we are happy to receive the feedback. Assuming it is true and believable, it means DC has to make few adjustments and it helps DC’s confidence.
While I have enjoyed visiting the schools and watching my DC light up about the potential learning and developmental opportunities, this process is miserable. Between the volume of essays, testing, interview scheduling, “games” and angles played that we don’t know about and hidden information about the schools that might impact fit, it is intimidating and not very much fun.
I’d like to think that the AOs aren’t trying to make it more difficult by being positive after an interview. They probably did enjoy talking to your student in the moment. And realize that it is hard for many teenagers. But they spoke to many students who are amazing and special and have to try and build a balanced class. Good luck with the process.
I think it means that the adults involved have compassion for the poor applicants and want the process to be less brutal and perhaps even confidence-building for them.
Our long experience is that most AO’s are unfailingly polite, really do care about kids, and don’t want to make a difficult process even more difficult. And none can admit all the kids they like.
A sad fact is that schools have found that selectivity (as measured by low acceptance rates) makes them more desirable. It is thus truly rare that a boarding school will discourage an applicant.
Hello @TheSwami: I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you need financial aid?
If so please take a read through some old threads on this topic. The kids who need financial aid have yet another barrier to cross. Please take this into consideration when deciding which schools to apply. The schools with the most generous FA policies are generally the hardest to get into (Andover, Exeter, etc). It’s almost like feast or famine when it comes to financial aid. This can be a painful discussion when an admissions officer calls a parent right before M10 to say that your child can be admitted, but only if full pay. Better to have this discussion ahead of time.
On the other hand, if you are indeed full pay, then know that this will open up more doors for you. Pay attention to schools with more limited financial aid budgets. This can often be the difference. Being full pay doesn’t guarantee anything, but certainly can make things easier.
In the grand scheme of things, don’t get caught up in the prestige trap. When it comes time to apply to colleges, your child’s academic achievements matters the most, and the brand name matters very little.
Narrowing the list of schools is tough. There are so many good ones that might be a good fit for DC. Regarding your point on prestige, I think there is something to being a big academic fish in a small pond vs. small fish in a big pond.
I’m convinced that the matriculation lists should not be taken at face value. Between legacies, hooks, recruited athletes, etc. “average” students likely have less of a chance to get into those elite colleges than they think. We’ve tried to spend our energy and resources trying to determine where DC will thrive and be happiest.
After joining a BS community I am pretty shocked how many connections there are. Many kids are legacy (as in very very many). And, the matriculation lists are pretty skewed based on legacy ( again) and also sports recruits and other factors( like geographic diversity). Yes, your kid might want to go to MIT but four years from now he’s going to be in line behind someone who is a legacy and major donor ( or has some other hook) . Tell your kid to be his/her personal best and that’s what matters. Everything else is out of their control.
The kids who are FA also will have a better chance if they can also fit into another category as well ( URM, sports or something the school can’t get as easily-geographic diversity. I think very few middle class kids are getting FA unless they also tap into a couple of categories. You can see that the AO’s have a really hard job. It’s tough for kids these days. The competition is fierce.
The prestige trap has kids and parents all seeking out the same schools. But there are at least 50 schools out there where your student has a great chance to not only get an excellent education but to also have a great experience.
All the kids willing to go through this process are brave. It doesn’t matter if they’re FP or seeking full FA. It can be an intimidating and very stressful process for everyone.
The bottom line, however, is pretty straightforward: Consider all compliments from a BS AO to be genuine and well- deserved, but also know they’re encouraging you to submit an application. Full stop.
I know AOs will give a myriad of positive comments, as they should, plus it’s usually not a rejection but a question of “curating the class”. In my case at one of my targets (which includes L’Ville/SPS/PEA), the AO literally said “I am going to strongly advocate for XYZ as he would be a great fit with our community”.
I guess my question is, is this a standard positive response or a very strong statement? Also, if the AO supports you, does the admissions committee usually go along with the AO except in unique circumstances? I just assume the AO has more weight on the committee because he/she was the interviewer. I appreciate your insights.
The AO “literally said” to you and referred to you in the third person? Or is this what your parent said that the AO said to him/her? Because if the latter, then we get into hearsay and for both scenarios there are questions of what was said vs. what was heard. But if we take the quote at face value:
Not always.
In general, the sum of the applicants than all AOs collectively recommend will still exceed the planned number of admission offers to be extended. And an individual AO may not have the complete picture of what the school needs from an incoming class and the AO has yet to speak with all his/her assigned applicants.
Yeah, an AO told my kiddo the same thing even praising specific things and kiddo ended up with a waitlist at the school. They say that to everyone. Honestly they do. Plus, how will they even know if you are in the mix since they are still interviewing and don’t know who else will apply?
